Wood
Wood is hard, fibrous structural tissue produced in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. This tissue conducts water to the leaves and other growing tissues and has a support function, enabling plants to reach large sizes. Wood may also refer to other plant materials and tissues with comparable properties. Wood has been used for millennia for many purposes. One of its primary uses is as fuel and, with the addition of fire, can be distilled down to charcoal. It is also used as for making artwork, furniture, tools, weapons, and as a construction material. Wood is the material sought by lumberjacks and is often called lumber in a harvested capacity. Wildwood The rare saelas tree (saelas is an Elven word that translates as "wildwood" in Common) produces wood with a peculiar set of qualities. Not only is it extraordinarily flexible for days after harvesting, but items crafted of wildwood regrow after being damaged. At the hands of an armorsmith also skilled in woodworking, wildwood can be crafted into light-weight armor nearly as strong as steel. It is prized by druids, who can wear it without sacrificing their class abilities. Wildwood armor provides 1 less point of armor bonus than ordinary armor of the same sort. However, the armor's maximum Dex bonus increases by 1, its armor check penalty is reduced by 1 (minimum 0), and its arcane spell failure chance is reduced by 5%. In addition, the wearer of a suit of wildwood armor can ignore its armor check penalty on Hide checks made in areas of undergrowth or heavy undergrowth. Armor made from wildwood weighs three-quarters as much as the same item made from metal. Armor not primarily made of metal is not meaningfully affected by being partially made from wildwood. As long as it is exposed to sunlight for at least 1 hour per day, a suit of wildwood armor naturally "heals" 1 point of damage every 24 hours. If it is left to soak in at least one gallon of water while exposed to sunlight for 8 hours, it heals 5 points of damage. Armor made from wildwood is always of masterwork quality (the masterwork cost is included in the armor's given cost). Wildwood armor costs double what ordinary masterwork armor of the same sort costs, but it takes no longer to make than masterwork armor of that sort. For each Craft (armorsmithing) check required to create a suit of wildwood armor, a Craft (woodworking) check against the same DC is also required (though the same character need not make both checks). Wildwood has 10 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 6. Blue Ice (Frostburn p. 80). Increases Max Dex by 1, reduces ACP by 2 (or by 3 if masterwork), and reduces the weight category by one step. However, if you don't have some kind of cold resistance, you take a -1 penalty on Ref saves and Init checks. Darkleaf (see below) has the same stats, but doesn't require cold resistance. Bluewood (Unapproachable East p. 58). Crafted by the Volodni (plant people), very similar to darkwood but can be used in place of metal armor. Weighs 50% of a normal item, but does not change the weight category. Bronzewood (Eberron Campaign Setting p. 126). Weighs 10% less, and can be used to make certain armors: breastplate, banded mail, splint mail, half-plate, and full plate. Other than the -10% weight, same properties as metal armor. Darkleaf (A&EG p. 19, Eberron Campaign Setting p. 120). Does almost everything mithral does, but cheaper. Masterwork darkleaf increases Max Dex by 1, reduces ACP by 3, and reduces the weight category of the armor by one step. Dragoncraft (Draconomicon p. 117). Reduces the weight category like mithral, but costs +2000 GP more, and the stats aren't quite as good: Max Dex is the same, and ACP is reduced by 2. It does add some nonmagical energy resistance, but Darkleaf and Sentira are cheaper. Duskwood Breastplate (Magic of Faerun p. 178). Faerun has a few "Yeah, it's darkwood, we just call it something different" materials, and this is another one. This one can at least be worked into a breastplate that counts as light armor, but a darkleaf breastplate has better stats. Leafweave (Races of the Wild p. 168). The leather/studded version of darkleaf. Sentira (Secrets of Sarlona p. 135). Exactly the same cost and properties as mithral, but according to the description it's grown from powdered crystal and has an "organic" appearance, "much like horn or shell". I can't find a definitive ruling anywhere that says whether or not this would be druid-friendly, but I can't find anything that says it's metal, either. Wildwood (Races of the Wild p. 169). Don't even bother. Wildwood = Fail. Zalantar (Magic of Faerun p. 180). Fancy-pants Faerunian name for darkwood, but apparently that's too priggish for those Notherners who call it "black-wood" instead. How many different names do these bozos need for the same thing? Same properties as darkwood, so it can't be used to make armor. However, duskwood (breastplate only) and bluewood can. Definite: Oak: Oak Yeah, I'm gonna have some of this. Darkwood: half weight Want this. Don't care if others have it too. Densewood: An extra heavy wood. I'd like it for construction purposes. I have access to stone anyway, so it's mostly for flavor. Maybe/eh: Bluewood: alchemically treated, hard as steel, half weight of wood. Seems pretty serious. Could take this in very small amounts, just for high-ranking types within my own realm and as gifts Livewood/Wildwood: A wood that heals itself Wouldn't want it, other than perhaps as basis of treehouses Hardwood: A generic hardwood for arrows Seems like something anyone could have Coldwood/Bronzewood: Wood version of iron. Sounds nice. It 'solves' my iron deficiency rather than making me trade. Could take or leave. Not interested: Laenar Wood: 'light wood' for arrows. Just as soon not bother Darkleaf: kind of like mithril Also seems pretty serious. I'd rather just have mithril. Leafweave: like Leather Pass. I'd just use hide, or trade for leather, or nothing. Additionally, these leaf ones seem really elfy, and I would suggest go only to Elven Court Duskwood: like Mithral Again, I'd just as soon actually use mithral Serrenwood: A ghost touch wood, used especially in bows. Does it do anything? Not really interested anyway, don't want things overly spooky in my realm. Fey Cherry Wood: 10% reduction in the price of magic item Sounds neat, but not really interested in an effect that merely saves money. Just seems unnecessary/cheesy. Ironwood: Druid Spell. Can it be cast by a lvl 6 druid? If not, it may be a moot point. Against Existing: Soarwood: Airship wood. Pass. Rather it not exist, in fact. I would like as many things as possible to be folded into "Darkwood". Thus, Darkwood Arrows have the effects of Laenar Wood and Hardwood, combined. You can Alchemically treat Darkwood to weapons to get the prices as with Bluewood, or alchemically treat it or its leaves to be Leafweave (similar to leather) or Darkleaf (as a sort of a wood based mithril light). The alchemical compounds to do this are not from the Darkwood tree, but they can be plant based or farmed. You could also use Ironwood to do the same. Combining the Ironwood process and the alchemical process -- again, the alchemical process should be close to the same for all three options (weapon, leatherlike armor, metallike armor) -- gets you all the way to the properties of Mithral. IE, with either of the two, it has hardness 10 and the stats are slightly inferior to mithral for armor, but with both, it is basically exactly like mithral (15 hardness, armor check penalty and such improved to be like mithral, so an ironwooded alchemically treated darkwood light shield has no arcane spell failure, so a nonproficient arcanist who suffers from ASF could use it without penalty). Livewood and/or Wildwood should exist, and be able to be made into armors and normally wooden weapons. The better stats of the two healing abilities (or a combined one) should be used; after all, how often do weapons and armor get damaged in D&D? What can actually be done with some wood that doesn't die when you cut it? That's not that big of a deal, you know? I suppose having a Dryad living in your armor might be interesting... maybe combine the effects of this with Fey Cherry Wood? Maybe even combine its effects with Serrenwood? As is, at most, it could be used for nets that are awesome with Entangle or similar things cast onto them. Maybe make a special version of these into the big elf homes?? I don't know how these should react to alchemically treating them or ironwooding them -- maybe they should react in an extra special way? Coldwood/Bronzewood: Should exist, and there should be woods that, without any or significant treatment, work pretty much just like iron. You should be able to alchemically treat these, and with alchemical treatment AND ironwooding, get them up to the stats of Adamantine. Serrenwood: Should be expanded so that anything made of this can automatically be influenced by not just ghosts, but anything etherial or whatnot. Should perhaps be useful in certain types of rituals. Unfortunately, it seems really niche for this game -- who is going to go up against a bunch of ghosts with bows?? If allowed, it should have some sort of expanded use... or just combine it with Livewood... Soarwood: No airships in this game! No no no! Fey Cherry Wood: Seeing as how its only useful on expensive magical items, and the secondary effects aren't THAT interesting, maybe it should be folded into something else? Densewood: Just call it Teak, geeze. Duskwood: I would have this as an un-alchemically-treatable, un-ironwoodable 'It's just like Mithral (and maybe with the truesteel damage bonus too, natch), from the get go, and one tree automatically makes X pounds cost, not after mithral half weight calculations of +1 mithral items just by cutting and woodworking it', has all the best benefits of all the other woods, be able to be shillelaghed, even if magical, crazy freaking rare, impossible to get seeds to grow elsewhere or transplant, wood that should be found very rarely as a sort of reward for questing and adventuring. No one should be able to say they have it. It should be the sort of thing where it is entirely reasonable to totally go to war in a war you expect you might not win over ownership of a grove of this stuff. You know, the uber-wood. Something has to be the uber-wood. Attune Gems of arcane spells. These are kind of like potions, but more versatile. This is found in Magic of Faerun, and spells of more types can be put in gems, and they are activated by touch. So you could have an uber-potion, sort of, but only for arcane spells. Or a bomb of a booby trap for your greedy enemies to set off! Brew Potions. This is as shown in DMG and PHB. Pretty restricted in what you can make, but hey, at least its both arcane and divine. Craft Cognizance Crystals. These are crystals that psionic characters can use to store power points. Craft Universal Items. These are the psionic versions of wondrous items. They are basically identical to wondrous items, and indeed, several universal items also have essentially identical wondrous item versions in other books. These are really useful, like third eyes or psychoactive skins and such. Craft Wondrous Items. These are as in the DMG and PHB. There are lots of INSANELY useful wondrous items that low level casters, with only access to maybe 3rd level spells, can make! Horn of Fog (DMG/SRD), Horshoes of the Zephyr (DMG/SRD), Rope of Climbing (DMG/SRD), Arcanist's Gloves (MIC), Blindfold of True Darkness (MIC), Bracers of the Entangling Blast (MIC), Brooch of Stability (MIC), Cloak of Elemental Protection (MIC), Dragonfang Gauntlets (MIC; one of the few ways to sort of get a sort of magic weapon in a wondrous item with characters of level 5 and under who don't have create magic arms and armor), Fanged Mask (MIC; another way to get a magic weapon), Gauntlets of Weaponry Arcane (MIC, another way to overcome damage reduction and get a 'magic' weapon!), Gloves of Object Reading (MIC) (very very useful!), Goodberry Bracelet (MIC; a way to get magical healing!!), Healing Belt (MIC; THIS IS A MAJOR ONE! A WAY TO GET HEALING! THIS IS A BIG DEAL!), etc. etc. Create Infusions. These are herbs infused with the essence of divine spells, sort of like divine scrolls that you eat. They are activated differently than scrolls, so you can make *cheaper* than normal scrolls that anyone can activate! However, you still need access to the spell on your list, or use magic device, even though you activate them by eating them. These are in Masters of the Wild. These also are useful in that the ingredients for them can be made more cheaply than their nearest equivalent, Runes. The Survival Skill, Profession herbalist and Profession farmer can be used to lower the price on them! Nice! Inscribe Runes. These are basically the same as divine potions divine spells put into a rune. They are implied to be a bit more durable, though. Note that these are runes as described in Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting and Player's Guide to Faerun. These are easier to activate than scrolls, and, as long as you stick with divine spells, can have more types of spells put on them. Create Alchemical Items. There are lots and lots of very useful alchemical items, and you don't actually need spell access to make them, just caster level and to be considered a spellcaster to do so. Look at some of the handbooks for the more interesting and obscure alchemical items (I can link anyone who asks for this); there are even plant based alchemical items that require no XP cost to make that give direct hit point healing! Create Poisons. There are lots of very very useful poisons, and they don't need a feat to make. Further, they can often be made more quickly and more cheaply than alchemical items, due to a few obscure rules regarding them. There is a poison crafting handbook for them, go take a look at it! Scribe Scrolls. This is as in PHB / DMG. Useful if you have characters with high Use Magic Device, or who have access to the spell lists in question. However, if you DO have someone who can use them, they are cheaper to make than Tattoos, Runes, Infusions, Gems, or Potions of the spells in question. Create Tattoos. There are several ways to make tattoos that do things in D&D. I'm not speaking of the "Create Magic Tattoo" spell in the spell compendium, that requires classes that we generally don't have access to. What I am talking about is either a.) The Scribe Tattoo feat in XPH / SRD, for scribing psionic powers into tattoos, or b.) the Tattoo Magic feat in Lords of Darkness and Races of Faerun, which also scribes powers into tattoos. These ones takes up magic item slots. These are sort of like potions: they are restricted in which powers you use (the wearer is the target of the power in question, so you want to generally do buffs, like potions). Imprint Stones. These are psionic scrolls. This lets psionic powers be put into Power Stones, which are basically equivalent to scrolls except Use Psionic Device is used for them. Cheap to make, hard to use, like scrolls. XPH / SRD. Category:Substances